I’m going to keep saying this because I honestly believe it: Princess Eugenie is not going to stick around Dusty Saltine Island forever. Especially not when Prince Harry and Meghan have shown that there’s another way. My guess is that shortly after QEII dies, Eugenie and Jack will move to New York permanently, or maybe even California. Charles has made it clear that he wants no part of the Yorks, so why not? That long-term plan is part of the reason why I think Eugenie has tried to stay on the Sussexes’ good side. You might even say that there have been several instances where she’s taken the Sussexes’ side over the Windsors’ side. This is one of them. Meghan’s 40X40 initiative aims to encourage people to devote 40 minutes to mentorship or service. Princess Eugenie has signed up:
Princess Eugenie shared a 40th birthday message to ‘dear Meghan’ today and revealed she is supporting her new 40×40 campaign by offering her services as a mentor to help women get back into work. The Duchess of Sussex shared a video featuring Bridesmaids actress Melissa McCarthy on the website of her charitable foundation Archewell to introduce her new initiative which encourages people to donate 40 minutes of their time to help someone else or to mentor someone in need.
Among those who have promised 40 minutes to support a woman in their community are singer Adele, poet Amanda Gorman, Sophie Gregoire Trudeau, the wife of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, and fashion designer Stella McCartney – all friends of the duke and duchess.
Taking to her Instagram Stories, new mother Eugenie, 31, wrote: ‘To celebrate dear Meghan’s 40th birthday I’m contributing 40 minutes of mentorship to support women reentering the workforce. In the past two years, tens of millions of women around the world have departed the workforce. If you can, please join me and commit 40 minutes to community, service or mentorship.’
Eugenie apparently edited her IG Story at some point to change “dear Meghan” to “the Duchess of Sussex.” I kind of like “dear Meghan.” Eugenie is spitting in the face of the rabid, hateful, racist British press by using an endearment like that. I’m including the original IG Story below.
In addition to Eugenie, Amanda Gorman, Adele, Sophie Gregoire Trudeau and Stella McCartney, other celebrities and big-names have signed up, including Hillary Clinton, Sarah Paulson, Ciara, Gabrielle Union, Katie Couric, Deepak Chopra, Jose Andres and many more.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Instagram.
Good for Eugenie
Yes, she is the only one I like in that family other than Harry
See how easy that was for a royal family member to show public support to Meghan. A Simple gesture but Just highlights how unsupportive they all were when she was in England.
+1
From when they first met .Her and Jack spent a bunch of time in Toronto as her and Meghan knew each other through Misha Nonoo
From the start she has been the only family member to show any public support. I noticed how on SM she would comment on the Sussex IG, like posts, etc.
Smart girl tbh. The Sussexes are obviously very well connected and actually nice. I’d choose them over the Windsors too especially if I was planning to move stateside.
.
Well now we know why the British Media is going after Eugenie. I knew something was up with the Jack story. Sad that Jack gave them dirt to embarrass his wife.
Ugh, the British media is so gross.
I LOVED seeing all the support flooding in yesterday on social media. I know some of the names were pre-announced, and then some of the announcements were clearly pre-planned and maybe even with certain times (like Gabrielle Union who had her tshirt on) but some definitely felt very spontaneous to me. I wonder if they knew Hillary would support the initiative like that? (maybe they sent her a notice about it but didn’t hear back?)
And Eugenie’s support, to me, was a big message in the context of the royal family and the british media. When I saw “dear Meghan” I thought “good for you Eugenie.” She just broke every BM narrative about how the entire royal family has rejected Meghan. Clearly not the “entire” family.
Anyway we all know that Meghan doesnt launch something without dotting her “i’s” and crossing her “t”s so I’m not that surprised that this took off like it did – but it was still really fun to see it unfold on social media yesterday. I am sure it was a SHOCK for the british media and the royals. The DM was so busy obsessing over whether her flowers were white or cream they completely missed the immediate impact of that video. They’ve been trying to destroy her reputation and global image for years now and here’s international figures like Adele, Gloria Steinem, Hillary, Jose Andres, Sophie Gregoire-Trudeau etc signing up to support her and calling her their friend.
+1 It’s really lovely, the support she’s getting for this. Lol, I love it so much.
I think Eugenie has made the calculation that her long term future success is not with William.
Maybe the flowers were a pale yellow.
😂 that will never not be funny. I’m definitely not wearing white to someone else wedding. It’s pale yellow, I swear!
Primrose yellow.
LOL
Lol!
It depends on the light, really.
Lol.
@sunshine if she has she’s smarter than the entire rest of the family combined
I love that they made the Royals’ response to her irrelevant. We’re too busy looking at Stacey Abrams and Hillary Clinton.
+1
It was so amazing, wasn’t it? As you say, we know much was preplanned, but planned in such an intelligent way, with room for a bit of awkwardness and dorkiness, and with genuine goodwill. No preaching, no guilt trips, no grand plans, no reinventing the wheel – just a simple ask that can be adapted to anyone’s abilities, no matter where they are in the world.
I read some sneering by one of the royal experts that this will do more harm than good, because the problems need to be studied and analyzed and then a policy put in place and blah, blah, blah…so unclear on the concept.
The British press desperately want Kate to be like Meghan. It’s so obvious. Before Meghan, they used to drag Kate for being so lazy. Now they praise her for taking 10 years to come up with 5 basic questions. It’s embarrassing and they know it.
Also, it’s clear there is no beef with Eugenie and Meghan. That ridiculous story of Meghan announcing her pregnancy at Eugenie’s wedding was just bs from the press. They probably knew how close they were and wanted to create drama. Eugenie has shown support for Harry and Meghan on her IG before. But I also believe Eugenie couldn’t put out an official statement. Harry and Meghan weren’t allowed to defend themselves I’m sure Eugenie wasn’t allowed to defend them either. Meghan’s friends weren’t allowed to as well
omg they are so ridiculous. One of the best things about this IMO is that it is a pretty simple idea. No, its not going to solve all the world’s problems or all women problems in one fell swoop. But its SOMETHING and its something that so many people can do. CB Writer Oya was offering to take headshots for resumes, I saw so many people (ordinary, everyday people, not famous) saying things like “if you have an interest in X field, DM me, I can help with your resume” or whatever. That was the power of it in my opinion. It’s not about changing the world on a global scale. It’s about making a difference for one person, and how THAT can affect change on a larger scale. Let’s get the women who want to go back to work, back to work. Let’s support the women who have had a hard time over the last year. Let’s do it in small batches because a rising tide lifts all boats.
Problems need to be studied and analyzed…….for 10 years perhaps? And then a survey needs to be done? 40 big questions? These people.
Meghan needed to open up an office in her house otherwise the problem will never properly be studied.
And this is why Kate is always pitted against Meghan, even if it isn’t her doing it directly.
Meghan works. She took a milestone birthday and made it about others and charity work. Meanwhile Early Years was and is a flop. That fake center has done nothing because it’s fake.
Meghan has a Rolodex of celebs and lifelong charity heads that want to be seen working with her and the same is just not true for even the most “service” minded royals. Not even relatively clean ones like Anne get worldwide projects done just appearances and ribbon cutting for the most part.
A good ass covering gesture would be to sign up to mentor and follow Eugenie but rather than help an everyday woman in need of guidance and support we’ll get radio silence and spite from the salt isle.
+1
This has GOT to be eating TOBB alive with jealousy (and Kate by extension). They LOVE being around celebs, and here, all Meghan has to do is an actual initiative, and people (“regular” and celebs, politicos, etc) are signing up by the DROVES to help/work with her. How many people did TOBB contact before he got Gaga to do that Zoom with him for that awkward mental health vid?
Kate’s not a creative person. She’s more into sports. KP pushes Kate into areas that she has know passion for or about. The women that are interested in Meghan are usually educated, driven and truly care about uplifting other women. The women that are interested in Kate dislike Meghan or believe in a very conservative RF (keep quiet, stay a step behind royal blood and have lots of royal babies). So when Kate tries to step out of her comfort zone she ends up hiding books or something else that is completely ridiculous.
I hear that a lot but I’ve never seen Kate play a sport. Only what is set up for photo ops.
@Lizzie..It’s the only time Kate really enjoys engagements. Just google it and you will see her enjoying herself playing all types of sports…volleyball, rowing, yachting etc. The Middleton’s pride themselves on their outdoor activities (seriously they really do)
I also think if Meg and Eugenie are that friendly Kate might be furious because it’s well-known that York sisters and she are not friends at all. I think KAte was jealous bc she believed after she joined RF everyone will bow and smile to her.
Kate has been a bitch to everyone of Harry’s girlfriends so she was never going to be friendly to Meghan regardless of whether or not Eugenie is friends with Meghan. All women who are attractive to men are competition to her and in Meghan’s case she is sexier (without even trying) so Kate was jealous from day one
Watch, Kate’s team will try to come up with something for her 40th in five months. Or a combined one for her and William, who also turns 40 in 2022.
I’m really loathe to bring Kate into a Meghan post because I think the vast majority of the comparisons aren’t necessary or helpful but I can’t help it on this occasion. It’s lovely seeing people step up for Meghan, and so many people say that they’re her friends and are prepared to help her. I’m going to take this at face value and assume that it’s true, as there are lots of different types of friendship from besties (e.g. her uni friends, Janina, Abigail, Serena) to colleagues (e.g. the Suits cast) to acquaintances who may become good friends in time, and all have their times and places. But it does really make me wonder about Kate and how many friends she actually has. I mean, we know who the York princesses are friends with, and they have far lower public profiles, but we don’t know anything about Kate’s friends and I do hope that she has some, and that they offer her support in her trying times. But assuming they exist, none of them have ever stepped up publicly and helped her, as Meghan’s friends have helped her, like Misha designing a piece for the Smart Set, and I think that’s a shame.
So there are two friends of Kate’s that always get named – emilia Jardine-patterson and sophie carter. I think both are godmothers to cambridge kids. And maybe she has others from university or school that just never get named.
But what I find interesting is that she does not seem to have picked up any significant connections along the way. She’s moved in very important circles for a decade now, yet I can’t think of anyone who would support her in such a public way like this. Meghan didn’t go to college with Sophie Trudeau. She met her at some point, established a connection, and now Sophie is supporting her. Meghan didn’t grow up with Gloria Steinem. They met last summer, interviewed, apparently got along, and now Gloria is supporting the 40×40. Not all of these people are going to be Meghan’s BFFs but she has networked for her entire adult life and we are seeing the results of it now.
I don’t think you can say anything remotely similar about Kate, I don’t think she thinks she has to network. (which is silly bc Charles certainly networks all the damn time, its not a bad thing at all.)
I think as well that if you put all your eggs in one basket, and Kate’s basket is William and the royal family, you don’t have the time or inclination to try and cultivate anything else. This is the difference between a self-made person like Meghan (after all, she started The Tig and made a success of that years before she met Harry), who appreciates the value of networking, connecting with people, you help me and I’ll help you, and someone who’s never had to work for anything tangible, or make anything happen on their own. And clearly while Meghan is an excellent networker and gets results in a clearly transactional way, she’s also a charming enough person that people feel appreciated rather than used when they help her. This is one of the reasons why I don’t believe any of the nasty allegations against her – the horrible person that the British press accuse her of being wouldn’t be able to succeed in this way not just once but consistently. If she were truly vile and an obviously mercenary user, people would work with her once and then never again. Instead, she inspires loyalty and devotion. Does anyone seriously think that people like Hillary Clinton, Oprah and Gloria Steinem would be taken in by a phoney?
This is the difference between a woman who has worked in her life, and another one who doesn’t even know how to start a project.
The only real hustler in Kate life is Carole Middleton.
When you are the resident mean girl. Forming real friendships or having any kinds of friends is difficult if not impossible.
Kate only goal was to stalk/ Marry william. She got that and because she was so single minded about it, she forgot to develop a life of her own and all that entails.
I have zero sympathy for Kate. You reap What you sow. She could have had a friend and ally in Meghan but she couldn’t lower herself off that pedestal of ffq to be kind and welcoming to another woman especially one coming from a different country. This is why Meghan success will continue to haunt Kate for life because God don’t like ugly.
I think there’s another Marlborough/Uni friend (can’t remember the name) but those 2 that you’ve named seem to be “Kate’s friends” rather than “William’s friend” or “Wife of William’s friend” like everyone else who gets named as her friend. There was Rose but who knows what the state of that relationship is like or if there was a genuine friendship in the first place. Oh and Pippa.
In the 20 years she’s been in the public eye, you never really hear of her hanging out with /her/ friends. I read an article about their breakup written at the time and it said their circle is pretty small to begin with anyways. You don’t hear about her having a night out or going on holiday or whatever. I don’t know if she genuinely doesn’t have friends or if she purposely keeps them out of the public eye so she can seem as bland as possible.
I think a big difference is that Meghan is willing to reach out to people she wants to connect with and work with. And then, she nurtured those relationships by continually reaching out and strengthening those connections. Kate seems like the type of person who thinks people should be reaching out to her because she’s so important and special. Like she would be demeaning herself by cold calling someone she wants to work with or have as a contact. Meghan, does not think she’s this high and mighty person who should just wait for people to come to her. She is willing to do the work to make the connections that will help her in her professional, personal, and charitable life.
Agree with all these commnets ^. I’ll also add that the difference between Kate and Meghan is that Meghan has a higher purpose. She’s driven to help people and change the world for the better, and I’m sure that gives her inspiration and energy that draws other people to her. Kate only cares about herself and her status as FFQ.
Kate and William have established friends. I can name a few
Katie Hopkins
Piers Morgan
Sarah Vine
Laurence Fox
Darren Grimes
Just to name a few.
The whole point of Ma sending Kate to Marlborough was to network, that’s why all rich parents to it. But Kate didn’t seem to get that memo. The problem kate has is she’s only focused on pleasing william and not building any connections beyond him. I mean how dumb is she to have not befriended eugenie and Beatrice back in the day. Instead she made enemies out of them and Meghan. Diana, Meghan, Beatrice , eugenie and even rose Hanbury all understood the importance of building a network long ago.
But Kate’s reputation within those circles is that she’s petty and will try and destroy you if she feels threatened by you. When Kate finally gets her marching orders, who is she gonna turn to for support?
February, I always found it odd that Kate never befriended Beatrice and Eugenie. In all the stories that have come out about the York sisters over the years, I have never seen anything about them being unpleasant people. Beatrice might come off a bit grand, but nothing malicious. So the fact that we only ever had stories about how bad the relationship was between them and Kate was very telling. Especially considering how Eugenie and Meghan apparently hit it off right away.
@becks1 such good points. Ans these women will not put their name to bullshit. I don’t think heavy hitters are going to get pulled into Kates bs again so easily after the debacle with Dr. Biden.
Meghan’s a girls girl, Kate’s not. Kate looks at other women as competition first. As far as the York’s go there’s a lot of drama in the background. Don’t forget The Queen changed a law that forces Kate to curtsy to the York’s without William. So The Queen is part of this background drama as well. The RF has this tendency to haze new members of the family. There is video of Edward mocking Kate’s eyeliner among other things. I think they tried it with Meghan but quickly realized that she was above all of the childish games. I’m certain they quickly determined Meghan was not only smart but was very good at defending herself. I have a feeling that Kate is just a surface person. She really doesn’t care about truly learning or connecting with other people. She does the job and goes home to the kids and exercising.
The Queen changed the curtseying thing well before Kate dated William. It was changed because Anne and Princess Alexandra did not want to curtsey to Camilla who at the time was not yet married to Charles. That said Kate and Carole have always acted very grand, even prior to the engagement and Kate and Pippa were particularly nasty to Beatrice and Eugenie when the latter were significantly younger than them and still teens. Kate has always viewed women as her competition, with few exceptions. That’s why she did things like keep other women away from William at bars, even when they weren’t officially dating. Kate was never going to like Meghan because Meghan is everything Kate can never be, a confident, intelligent, talented woman, who also happens to have a husband who respects her and who happens to look beautiful and gets press attention. From the outset Kate was excluding Meghan even from things she enjoys, like shopping, because she knew that Meghan would draw more attention. And she obviously acted passive aggressive at the wedding and later on set up the smear about the crying over tights. Kate will only tolerate a woman if she submits to her. Carole is the only exception to this rule.
@Nic919…..correct me if I’m wrong here but didn’t The Queen change the rule in 2012 a year after Kate married William (not fully sure on that). I agree it was also changed for Princess Anne and Camilla but I think it was also changed to include the York’s and Kate (I could be wrong). 100% agree with everything else you stated.
The Queen changed the rule about blood princesses in 2005. The succession laws were changed in 2012 removing male primogeniture and simply enacting primogeniture which is why Charlotte ranks above Louis.
@Nic919…Thank you for the follow-up and corrections.
@over it, what a waste that she did not cultivate a friendship with a person like Meghan. Yeah I can tell they’re not friends.
Definitely not friends, how can you have a friendship with someone that won’t stop making eyes at your husband and does everything in her power to try to destroy your reputation
You don’t know who Kate’s friends are because she has no friends.
@jane I agree. I think the RR get high on their own supply of bullshit and think they’ve made a dent in the Sussexes’ popularity. It’s nice to see that delusion absolutely brutally smacked down in one hour lol.
Also, I never feel aspirational when I look at Kate but as with everything Meghan I’m wishing I could one day have my beautiful ankles so elegantly crossed under my gorgeous stone desk in the serene light of the montecito morning with a rich cashmere shawl elegantly draped around my slim shoulders. I sound like a DM article about Keen, but with Meghan I actually feel this way. She looked like absolute poetry yesterday.
@Gruey Is it weird that I, too, want this for you? The cashmere and the house and the serenity. All of it. 😁
I am right there with you.
Guessing Kate is the type of women who has more guy friends. Women are considered rivals
I’m highly emotional right now for several reasons and all of this support for Meghan and Harry, especially from Eugenie, makes me tear up. She is being supported by global movers and shakers as she deserves and I’m sure CH and KP are in a tizzy over this. Well done, all of you. Especially you, Eugenie.
That sound we’re hearing is Charles’ and Wills’ heads exploding with rage.
Me too, seeing all this support for Meghan had me crying a lot today. My wish for them is complete and everlasting happiness.
@Pixie I agree, I’m so happy to see this I feel like crying too. It’s like a Cinderella story on the global stage. I hope it continues, and we get even more happy ever afters. The best part is that, like Oprah said, she rescued the Prince.
I agree, it was truly heartwarming to see the support for Meghan roll in yesterday, and I put Eugenie’s support at the top of that list – the amount of courage it took to publicly support ‘dear Meghan’ really speaks to Eugenie’s character (and I admit, raised her in my esteem about a zillion notches).
And of course it’s sad that publicly supporting a family member on their birthday would take courage, but the reality is that Eugenie breaking ranks with the royals and supporting Meghan vocally, directly, and publicly is a big deal and was very touching.
It kills me that someone called her to yell at her, and she changed the “dear Meghan”. What it must be like to be born into this family, this is all they know. Good on Eugenie for publicly supporting Meghan, and shame on whoever made her change a beautiful “Happy Birthday” message.
The internet sees all, it doesn’t reflect badly on Eugenie, it reflects badly on the rest of the royal family, in England.
This is what our Meghan does. Congratulations to everyone who participates in this birthday celebration!
I think this is a wonderful initiative and so glad to see so many people sign up. Meghan looked great in the video— I loved her reaction to Harry juggling at the end.
I haven’t gotten a chance to look in further detail on the Archewell site, but how are mentors matched with mentees? I understand she was talking about making a local impact and tangible change, but I keep getting tangled in the logistics of it. I admittedly live in a bubble consisting of litigation, litigation, and more litigation and am not sure where I would find a person I’d like to help with, eg, refreshing their resume.
Again, this is not a criticism of Meghan’s project. I haven’t had a chance to look at Archewell in detail— just that doing a quick peruse, I didn’t see a “sign up to be matched” based on industry, specific need, etc. I saw some sections directing people to other organizations, which seemed limited to a specific geographic region?
CBers with more knowledge, could you chime in? (And a very valid criticism to be leveled at me is that I should take initiative to find organizations in my area to donate my time, instead of expecting Archewell to do all the work.)
Good question- they aren’t tracking it, just letting it happen organically.
I’m sure if they are smart they will follow up and ask people to report on the connections.
I tagged the hashtag and shared that I was available on Twitter and ended up with three people to mentor for three different countries.
So I think the big-namers who are getting involved are probably going to mentor someone already in their circle or with an organization they are already involved with. But if you go to Archewell, it does list organizations that will help partner you with a mentor or a mentee and gives you ideas of how to help. So I don’t think its like you can sign up and you can get paired with Melissa McCarthy. I think its more that Melissa is going to reach out on her own to an organization she knows or something to mentor someone.
https://archewell.com/story/iwd/
This isn’t a mentor/mentee matching service. It’s about people taking a look around in their community and offering to help where they can. The Archewell site just has some general suggestions for reaching out to organizations that can help, and I think people are just supposed to go from there. With a global pandemic and individual needs and abilities, I think local is the only way this can work.
The other day (before Meghan’s birthday) a friend of mine (a university professor) was chatting with a clerk at Walmart who said she wanted to go back to school and find a career. My friend gave her some advice right then and there, but also invited her to have coffee later and talk about her plans. I think this is the idea that Meghan was talking about.
Thanks all! Really appreciate the responses and suggestions!
LaraW, in answer to your concern about how to move forward, yesterday I saw a tweet by a female news reporter who posted a tweet directed to journalism students or graduates who needed help with headshots, resumes, & video submissions to TV stations, etc. Plus, I noticed that the reporter was a woman of color, so she would be able to help some people navigate the pitfalls POC might face in the journalism industry (obviously, she did not include that last part. I just thought that might be an added bit of knowledge she might bring to the table). The point is that those who can help, can send a tweet on what they can do & parse through responses. Also, I noticed that there was an option on 40×40 between mentoring OR community service, so it doesn’t have to be mentoring.
It’s wonderful to see so many great people rallying around Meghan to wish her a happy birthday and to do some good in the world. The dusty island and their royal klan never deserved such a treasure.
The more the British media try to destroy her, the higher she rises. I love that this incredible woman refuses to bend and break. I hope a lot more celebs keep signing on. The racist section of the brits try to label her too Hollywood. Well sit back and watch her star power continue to shine.
The keenbridges would sell one closet of coat dresses for an ounce of what Meghan accomplishes .
It’s quite possible that Eugenie and her husband are considering relocating to the US. She used to live in NY. Is it surprising that she supports Harry and Meghan? No, she’s living at Frogmore Cottage after all. I think KP did try drive a wedge between them by leaking that story to the press about Meghan announcing her pregnancy at Eugenie’s wedding. I don’t believe that was true but even if she did, I can only see Eugenie being happy for her.
The list is IMPRESSIVE! And good for Eugenie. Especially after the tabloids started to mess with her husband. She knows what supporting Meghan can do to her on Salty Island.
Honestly, both those York sisters need to get their ducks in a row and plan on non-royal lives. Making their own money and not depending on The Crown. I say that for every family member that isn’t a direct heir, but especially the York sisters because it’s obvious Charles AND William will go out of their way to make their lives miserable under their reign.
+1 It’s pretty clear that Charles wants all the marbles.
Is this intended as a hungry hippos reference? That’s how I’m reading it and I love it!
If Eugenie & Beatrice stay on Harry & Meghan’s good side and don’t sell them out, I’m sure Harry & Meghan would be glad to hook the sisters up if they relocated to the US after the Queen passes away. I’m pretty sure Eugenie knows what’s up, not sure about Beatrice.
The family unit that NEEDS to jump on the winning team but won’t is the Wessexes. They still think they and their kids are going to be in royal life. If Edward and Sophie were smart, they would’ve remained neutral/pleasant to the Sussexes in case they needed a hook up for themselves or for Louise/James in the future.
Instead, they decided to side with the Windsors and be nasty to Harry & Meghan and for their reward they get their expected titles snatched away and will be put off the royal dole as soon as Betty takes her final nap.
Get with the winning team. Charles & William ain’t it.
I like this.
And I am waiting for KP and the courtriers reaction.
It makes me wonder what kind of backlash Eugenie has faced privately. I’m so proud of her.
Yeah it’s funny. I’m happy that Eugenie is publicly supporting and I do wonder what private backlash she has gotten. The fact that we’re so excited over her saying “dear Meghan” and contributing to this initiative is kind of sad. Not a knock against eugenie but this could have started from the beginning. Try not to laugh, but imagine Kate or Anne or Camilla instagramming as they tried out Hubb recipes. How many year later and eugenie is literally the only one showing support. What bitter and terrible people.
Anne and Camilla have the excuse of being a generation too old to be into social media so I can’t see them posting anything about HUB recipes, but Kate is the same age as Meghan and doesn’t have that excuse. Especially when she pretended to have made chutney for the Queen and portrays herself and someone who cooks. It would have been the perfect level of support and she would have been praised to the skies. But she’s too jealous of Meghan to do that. Instead of supporting her cookbook, she got Becky English to write a story about her broken Britain project the Friday before the Monday launch of the cookbook.
The support for this (and Meghan) was absolutely wonderful to see. If there is any doubt about whether or not Meghan’s global reputation is “destroyed” or whatever, let this initiative remind you that it isn’t in any way. And I will give it to Eugenie for constantly supporting the Sussexes. She seems to be the only one who actually treats them like family PUBLICLY and consistently. Also I checked her IG stories again and “Dear Meghan” is still there.
But her moving??? Eh. Unless Charles really makes life difficult for them I doubt it. Both of them have got family and most of their friends in the UK. There’s no real reason for them to move. Worst case scenario, they move out of the Crown Estate property and get cut off completely financially but I’m sure Andrew will get a nice inheritance and I’m sure he’ll give it to his daughters.
I kept laughing at these people who were insisting that Meghan’s global rep had been damaged. Experience is always a better teacher than rumor, and everyone outside of the palace/press loves working with her. Her global reputation has never faltered.
“ I’m sure Andrew will get a nice inheritance and I’m sure he’ll give it to his daughters.”
They need their own inheritances from Queen granny because it’s pretty much guaranteed that Andrew will blow through his before he can pass anything on to his children. The Queen is still regularly bailing the man out to this day.
Speaking of how the Queen will disperse her personal wealth when she dies, it’s going to be FASCINATING. I hope her will is iron clad because EVERYONE is gonna be coming for a piece of that Shepherds pie.
Oh I’m sure the Beatrice and Eugenie will get a nice cushy inheritance as well. My point was that unless life becomes hell for them, they’re not going to move. And if money becomes an issue then, I’m not trying to be mean but neither of them are going to get Netflix and Spotify deals to fund their lifestyles.
It will likely all go to Charles with a list of her wishes on who gets what. He inherits everything tax free, but everyone else would have to pay taxes. So, I doubt we will ever know.
Ditto Ainsley – Charles is likely going to get everything. The Queen may have trusts established for her other children and her grandchildren/great-grandchildren, I read something a few months ago about the QM doing that* and it said that as long as the trusts were established a certain amount of time before death, they were tax free (I think it was 7 or 9 years.) So all the grandchildren may have something but not the great-grandchildren. I would not be surprised if she has started gifting some of her personal jewelry and the like.
*I was looking it up and its hard to confirm whether the QM actually did that, but it was certainly widely reported, so who knows. Harry said after the Oprah interview that he did not get anything from his great grandmother. But the timing issue was what was interesting to me.
Yes, and let’s not forget Fergie — she spends money like a drunken sailor on a Saturday night.
Their wills remain private, under a deal with a pro-royal PM. As Becks1 writes, Charles will get the vast majority because he gets it tax-free.
Becks1, I wonder if the Queen Mum trust funds are age-related. William and Harry received their inheritances from Diana in installments based on age. Queen Mum might have done something similar, so some of them (Harry included) haven’t received access to their trusts *yet*.
I wonder if she asked Kate to be involved? If I was a muckraking tabloid sleaze, that would be my angle. So many possible ways to spin.
Considering the type of person Meghan is, I’m sure she asked Kate (even if it was just a formality) but I doubt she’ll get involved. I also don’t know what exactly Kate could mentor in? Eugenie has a job (albeit a VERY cushy job) so she may have picked up some things but I’m really not sure about Kate.
Kate could lead a seminar in Waitying.
I doubt she asked Kate a damn thing. Kate is no friend of hers, and who knows how any communication with Kate would be spun. I think Meghan feels sorry for Kate, because Kate has to spend the majority of her life either enabling or keeping clear of a rage monster. The best thing Meghan can do is keep clear of Kate.
“How to land a Prince: a 10 year plan”
@Lanne: That’s why I said it would probably be a formality on Meghan’s end. I don’t know how much ill will Meghan holds towards Kate but just judging by her personality, I can see her sending a very basic email of “Doing something soon, want to join?” And that’s it and didn’t expect a decent reply.
Sofia, lol at the 10 year plan!
I’m with @Ianne on this one….I would bet that Meghan didn’t ask Kate a thing. For starters, we would’ve heard about this way before yesterday bc that ish would’ve been leaked from jump street, plus Cameltoe and her coven would be trying to big up Kate’s involvement somehow, even if she didn’t really contribute anything meaningful (another installment for #katemiddletonsuccessstories or whatever that genius hashtag was). No, Meghan and Harry are too smart to involve the Cambridges in anything they do going forward, formalities be damned.
Public speaking..LOL
Pie chart making!
LOL @ sofia
we would all know if M had made the unprecedented mistake of asking kHate to participate because it would be splashed in aaaaaaaaaaalllllllllllllll the british sh*trags &* programs by the very next day; which would be long before M’s birthday and therefore wd hv blown all of M’s careful planning.
So, no. kHate wasnt invited.
Welllllll… As lovely as it is that all of these incredible and famous people are signing up, let’s be honest. What can they mentor in that would actually be helpful to normal women trying to re-enter the workforce? Most of them have been so successful, famous, rich and powerful for so long, that their experience isn’t really relevant to average people with average skills who are struggling to pay bills, struggling with childcare, and struggling to get their foot in the door again.
As much as I’d love to chat to Melissa McCarthy, I don’t know how much she could offer me in terms of advice when I was made redundant last year and there were no jobs going in my industry and related industries weren’t interested in someone without experience in their exact industry. Maybe a nice pep talk at best? Something about mental health? Practically speaking, how does a rich and famous actress advise a pleb like me about stuff like this? How could she even advise someone in the arts industry, which has suffered so much with COVID. Their worlds are so different.
However, these people signing up IS an incredible PR campaign. The people who are more likely to be able to help are the normal people. For example, I am great at CVs and cover letters and I have experienced losing my job and being broke after I burned through my savings and then finding a new opportunity after lots of negatives. I could help someone in a similar situation. So all these famous people signing up will likely lead to a huge wave of normal people signing up, and that’s where the real value lies.
It’s also an amazing networking opportunity.
It will also potentially change the general mentality of people who are hiring and open them up more to women in this situation.
So, huge net worth from this; but not necessarily from the specific mentoring of the famous. But from the ripple effect them signing up will have and the positive PR and public mental shift it will create.
I doubt that she did. It’s very obvious that Meghan and Kate have no relationship. Anyway if she did ask Kate that information would have been leaked to the press.
Delete
I was waiting for this. If Kate knew, KP would have known, and they’d run straight to the RR.
Only problem with this would be that if there is any woman in this world who is in desperate need of a mentor, it’s Kate, Maybe Meghan can volunteer 40 days to helping Kate because 40 minutes is definitely not enough when you have to start at the bottom and work your way up.
True, but Kate is NOT Meghan’s problem. Kate needs to clean up her own messes. Meghan has given enough to that family. She owes them nothing.
You are correct Lanne, but Meghan has a huge heart and it could be her charitable contribution to Kate, lord knows that Karen keenbridge needs all the help she can get because girlie hates work.
There is the irony, Kate was too insecure to realize she needed a good friend inside the rf. Meghan had accomplishments and experience to know how to be successful. I’m sure she would have loved to mentor Kate, who let’s face it needs mentoring. Kate has now been so over coached by idiot courtiers that she cannot even speak coherently in public.
I doubt it due to KP’s smear campaign and false bullying allegations against Meghan.
I think Meghan only asked 40 of her friends to actively participate though. So, there were 40 people who Meghan directly invited to support her, and then others who saw the campaign, got inspired, and decided to throw their hats in the ring too. That’s what was so inspiring about the campaign, that so many people from all levels of notoriety and all walks of life chose to help – that’s the ripple Meghan mentioned in the video.
So, no, Meghan absolutely did not ask Kate to participate as part of the initial 40 friends (if she had, it would have leaked), but if Kate or the PR geniuses at KP cared one iota about appearing as the bigger person and changing the narrative, Kate absolutely could have joined in just like the tangential celebrities and teachers and lawyers and authors I saw on social media. Honestly, it shows how bad KP is at their job, because if Kate HAD participated it easily would have been the best PR she’s gotten all year, plus it would have stole Meghan’s spotlight because all the RRs would have focused on Kate rather than Meghan. It just further solidifies that Kate and KP have no intention of changing the narrative, they like the narrative just as hateful and vile as it is.
Ahhh @Sunday……you know this idea is not even a pipe dream in the courtiers heads, right? LOL Not in anyone’s wildest dreams would any brit or anyone else in the world who has been paying att’n to the BRF since M entered that horror show, or even since The Crown, believe that the courtiers would deign to ask a favor of someone who has so publicly, decidedly and successfully rejected them. Are you kidding?!
Dont you know what the latest ‘crime’ theyre accusing M of? “She rejected britain.”
So, just as one RotaRat was quoted as saying soon after H&M announced their departure from that dungeon: ‘theyre going to be treated to the harshest ridicule & mockery.’
Britain has no intention of leaving H&M alone.
What could she possibly mentor?Buttoning for dummies? Mean girling 101?
Meghan asked men and women to participate. Not giving Kate a pass- but there are plenty of people in that family that could have been asked to help with this initiative.
And not one of them, save Eugenie, has ever outwardly come out and shown her any grace or kindness. Would’ve been a great thing for William to involve himself in just as much as Kate, but well, you know……
Jealous fools, all of them.
I highly doubt that Meghan asked Kate for a damn thing. For one, Kate would have nothing to say to a mentee worth mentioning. Please. She of the “how interesting” when responding to a child who had been maimed. Secondly, Meghan is kind and generous but she isn’t stupid. Asking Kate would only be used to embiggen Kate a la the “round table discussion” with Dr. Biden. And thirdly, Meg does not need Kate for anything.
This – it will be spun as a “snub” to Kate by the more deranged commentators. Catherine tried soooo hard to make peace, and then she was blindsided! stung! insulted! by that mean actress and her woke Hollywood cronies. Does Meghan just hate such a down to earth, hands on mom like Kate? Whyyyyy didn’t she ask Kaaaate?
I still think the reason Eugenie has been targeted is because the media has been asking for access to Frogmore Cottage. They want to see inside so bad and they know Eugenie and Jack have access to Harry and Meghan. I wouldn’t be surprised if certain family members have been pressuring them to give the tabloids access.
All of the Sussex things have been removed, I believe. There’s no reason to look inside Frogmore.
It doesn’t matter. They want to see the paint, the flooring etc. Anything they can get from or about Harry and Meghan is all they care about.
Security wouldn’t allow them to give the tabloids access to Frogmore. They don’t want any crazy people to know how the house is laid out in case the home is broken into and such. So, they are safe on that front.
You mean how many bathrooms it has?
this is such a bizarre take.
why on earth would the press want to ‘see’ the inside of a home in which h+m haven’t lived for over a year?
huh?!
I can totally see it. Meghan and Harry renovated that home. All of the structural stuff and permanent fixtures are what they picked out. I’m sure the press would love to tally up the price of every single thing and see if adds up to exactly the amount that Meghan and Harry paid back, or if they can somehow claim that it’s more and Harry and Meghan still owe “the taxpayers” more money. They detailed every single item on her desk and around her, down to “decorative glass bottle.” They’d love to be able to detail every single kitchen cabinet, lighting fixture, backsplash tile, range, oven, dishwasher, faucet, paint color, flooring choice, etc. They can make up stories about where they think the night nurse slept and the nursery is and how far away they are from Harry and Meghans room and decide if it was really “feasible” for Meghan to have witnessed some kind of untoward behavior. They can detail where they think Doria slept and if she had her own bathroom. They’re super nosy. They would love to see the house Harry and Meghan designed.
To let the british taxpayer see what type of high end finishes were chosen and let them think they paid for it. Particularly gauche American finishes like gold toilets. Then they could run an article a day for weeks about how people are out of work and covid and blah blah because Megan has to pee in a gold toilet. I swear I read DM and this is a plausible story line over there.
@Lori, I don’t see gauche finishes like gold toilets as an American thing. Heir Force One alone negates that.
If the story is true that the media want access to the inside of Frogmore-it’s probably because they’re hoping to come across pictures of Archie & Lili left out in the open.
Uh, it really isn’t a bizarre take at all @taris. Don’t be willfully ignorant to just how obsessed the British media is with the Sussexes.
Yep that’s definitely one theory, the tabloids would love to see the paint Meghan picked out.
I also think the palace and tabloids are starting to get mad at eugenie for not trashing harry and Meghan and embiggening the Keens. I imaging that Willie has probably put pressure of the York princesses to publically kiss his ass like sophie and Zara have. I’m glad they are not succumbing to pressure. Given the fact that both their husbands were thrown under the bus in the same week, I think some sh*t is going down.
If Ol’ Willy wanted the York women in his corner, maybe he should’ve told his wife to stop being a mega bitch to them years ago. But I’m sure he encouraged it and has always been a d*ck to them just because he’s been gassed up his whole life to believe he’s better than everyone else in that family and it’s also no secret that his dad can’t stand their dad.
I think Sophie and even Zara might be done with kissing ass for the Keens. The only days Sophie and Beatrice made appearances at Tennis this yr was when Khate was quarantined for the week.
Sophie isn’t done kissing W&K a$$. She wants to convince them to advocate to Charles about keeping the Wessexes on Sovereign Grant. They’ll have to sell the lease to Bagshot Park and move to much smaller digs otherwise.
I believe Meghan said she asked 40 of her friends? I don’t think I’ve ever heard Kate say Meghan’s name in public. But there’s nothing stopping her from being a mentor if she likes.
As opposed to Kate’s two friends: her mom and her sister.
I don’t think either of them are her friends, Marie. Her mother is her stage mummy, her sister is her life-long competitor.
I know there were some people trolling the fact that Euegenie was involved with this yesterday but while being who she is undoubtedly helped her get to where she is she does have an actual job right? She works at an art gallery? I think if youre interested in that type of work it wouldnt be a comple waste to talk to her. But obviously the most revelant thing here from a gossip perspective is that she is once again making it clear that she is still close with Harry and Meghan even after Page Six tried to insinuate the other week that she was mad with Harry for writing a memoir(which never made sense as her own mother has written multiple).
It is really impressive to watch the rollout of names for this from a former Secretary of State to the First Lady of Canada, from athletes to billionare female entrepreneurs, and from social activists to actors and singers. It shows that Meghan’s roledox is huge and the British media’s attempts to destroy her image to the point no one wanted to work with her failed miserably and that the small roll out for The Bench was a choice. She could’ve gone to big guns to promote her book but instead mostly just sent it to close friends many of whom aren’t even famous. She chose to instead reach into her black book for her first social initiative post pregnancy and that tells you pretty much everything you need to know about her.
Eugenie has been consistently employed in the art industry and she’s the only family and RF member who has supported them publicly.
Eugenie has also done various charity work with anti-trafficking organizations (although that seems to have tapered off….wonder why….) and has supported scoliosis organizations. She’s actually one of the few who seems to do charity work just because she enjoys it. So I think she probably does have enough experience across the board to mentor someone, she probably just would have to be careful how she went about it considering she did have so many doors open to her because of her status.
Thank you my Duchess! I would love if she or Oprah mentored me heh.
The people and orgs supporting 40×40 was amazing. Love that SmartWorks and Luminary Bakery were amongst the supporters. fans wanted to see Meghan show her lighter side but it’s a shame unlike Harry that she gets so much more ‘scrutiny’ and criticism when trying to be fun. But least she presses on. I hope there is follow up to see how people have found the mentoring etc.
I just can’t wait to see what Kate & Bill will try and do to replicate this for their birthdays. Their next zooms will be interesting too.
They tried to tell us she was loveless and unsupported, and then she came out swinging. She is MASSIVE and she’s pnly getting started.
Happy birthday, Meghan!
I love all the support Meghan is getting on this (what an incredible list of names), and YAY Eugenie for being on her side.
The list of names involved is so impressive. It’s amazing the network Meg has established. So, serious question did she know about/help plan Melissa McCarthy’s (friggin’ hilarious) dig at English stuffiness with that Hyacinth getup? Either way she posted it on the Archewell site, so is Meg actually trolling the RF in addition to out-working/out-shining them? She’s earned the right to a little trolling that’s for sure.
Oh, I think she was trolling a lot, even herself a little bit. From the bit about “peaceful under a tree,” which can be taken both ways, the beautiful home office (so different from Kate’s cobbled together workspace) which looks like a totally modern take on royalty – giant fireplace, giant table, faithful canine companion sleeping nearby, the big H on Harry’s chair, the tea cup. Then the stack of her books – a small dig at the haters, here’s my book – a small dig at herself – yikes, I still have to sell all these books. The out of focus shot of her family photos, which is guaranteed to drive the media crazy. And Harry all happy and goofy. It was so interesting – “won’t you please take a few minutes to help others? And, BTW, in your face.” I loved every second of it.
The juggling bit with Harry was really cute and he’s now of course being trolled as Meghan’s jester and puppet, which they probably knew would happen, so yeah they are trolling their trolls. Lol stay mad haters.
I don’t think the H was meant to convey anything. It’s just an Hermès blanket.
Totally trolling and I loved it. The best part is it’s making the haters froth at the mouth trying to come up with a million reasons why the initiative will fail and yet…look at the high level attention it’s getting. Meanwhile, from the Cambridge corner…crickets. Jealous crickets.
I was so glad to hear Meghan say to Melissa, “Bye, friend,” and to hear Melissa answer, “Bye, friend.” Yes, the tattoo thing was a little over the top, but the whole video emphasized: Meghan has actual friends, not mere connections. She’s not pining and lonely in Montecito, obsessively counting her bathrooms — as the UK tabloids are hoping.
And to be able to leverage that kind of starpower for your initiatives — Hillary freaking Clinton? — is just IMPRESSIVE. This woman is leaving Buttons McMumbles in the dust, for sure.
I’d hope they’re friends since apparently Meghan has Melissa tattooed on her back. 🤣
@Booboocita said:
“And to be able to leverage that kind of starpower for your initiatives — Hillary freaking Clinton? — is just IMPRESSIVE. This woman is leaving Buttons McMumbles in the dust, for sure.”
Yep, but Hillary and Meghan already have an established friendship. In 2019, after Meghan gave birth and was being relentlessly abused by the U.K. media, Hillary spoke out against the abuse on her Twitter. Then either Meghan contacted Hillary privately, or Hillary reached out to Meghan privately. As a result, Hillary was invited to visit the Sussexes at Frogmore Cottage. The visit was publicly reported on, probably in People magazine.
Well before Meghan met and married Harry, she was a supporter of Hillary, despite likely not knowing Hillary personally at the time. When Hillary was running for President in 2016, Meghan posted on her Instagram a picture of Hillary at the 2016 Democrat National Convention.
Oh, and it is probable that Meg might have been briefly introduced to Hillary (who was in the audience) when Meg gave her famous U.N. speech around 2015. At the time, Meg was affiliated with U.N. Women while living and working in Toronto. Plus, as we know, Meg wrote a letter to Hillary as a 12-year-old seeking her help in advocating against sexist language in that P&G dish soap ad.
Now, of course, P&G has partnered with Meghan on charitable initiatives, and Hillary is among the group of 40 friends Meghan called on for her latest project. I think Abrams, Gorman, Eugenie, Abigail Spencer, Serena, Janina, Sophie Trudeau (whom Meg met through Jessica Mulroney), et al., are among the 40 friends Meg reached out to in advance.
Can’t Cambridge will always be left in the dust, because she’s such a petty, mean girl.
It would take Kate a decade to put something like this together, and then it would be a huge flop. This really makes her look completely ineffectual and incompetent.
Everything Kate does makes her look completely ineffectual and incompetent. Can you imagine if it had been Meghan meeting with Dr. Jill Biden instead of Mumbles? They would have been out of the gate with concrete plans immediately and become great friends.
We would still be talking about that meeting and its after-effects because it would’ve been solid GOLD.
@Jaded-I’m pretty sure the childhood summit thing would have lasted longer if Meghan was involved. We wouldn’t have seen Dr. Jill being disappointed about it being wrapped up so quickly.
@Jaded said:
” Can you imagine if it had been Meghan meeting with Dr. Jill Biden instead of Mumbles? They would have been out of the gate with concrete plans immediately and become great friends.”
Yeah, such a public meeting between two powerhouse women would be a thing of beauty and substance.
Harry is already friendly with the Bidens through his public and private friendship with the Obamas. I bet there has already been mutual contact behind-the-scenes between the Sussexes and the Bidens.
Harry and Meghan are private citizens, despite also being public figures. No longer being associated in a working capacity with the royal firm gives H&M a lot of freedom in their relationships, and in their unseen daily lives.
I took her 8 years to write her 5 question survey, that she didn’t even write.
As I wrote upthread, I’m sure the KP team is putting together something for Kate’s 40th in January in desperate response.
Kate spent 10 years as a princess and despite her immense privilege she didn’t use any one of those birthdays to help others. It’s because she doesn’t care. The charity is pretend and is looking more obviously half ass now that we see real work in action.
See, this is why I kind of love Eugenie. In a family full of sycophants and grifters, she’s making a stand. I know a lot of people used to criticize her for not being proactive enough in her support of the Sussexes but with parents like hers, she didn’t exactly have stellar role models. I like that she’s slowly and steadily showing her support and strength of character. That’s huge when you think about her dysfunctional family. So good for her.
That said, this sounds like a great project. Looking forward to seeing what develops.
Having a supportive partner can also make a huge difference in finding the courage to be your true self. Despite tabloid recent rumors it seems like Eugenie maybe has a strong partner.
^^ Yes @Keri, but honestly I believe that Eugenie has always been privately supportive of Meghan and Harry. So M&H have surely always known where Eugenie stands. She stands with the Sussexes! But not being in a position of power or authority within the firm would be why Eugenie remains relatively discreet regarding her feelings and her family affiliations.
The stakes were raised recently when useless rota leeches, via palace courtiers, claimed that the York sisters are allied with the firm in being upset about Harry writing a memoir. Apparently, both Bea & Eugenie pushed back against that claim, when a later report asserted that the York girls both support Harry and have no problem with him writing a memoir. As Kaiser reviewed it here recently, Eugenie and Bea let it be known that Harry has a right to have his voice heard, especially since he was “not listened to when he was a working royal.”
LOL. York girls pushed back this time, and then the slapback happened against their husbands. But I don’t think either Bea or Eugenie care about the tabloid attacks because they understand the game that’s being played. And most importantly, I think they both trust their husbands and have solid marriages, at least to this point.
Eugenie is probably closer to Harry. Although Bea seems more neutral and somewhat stuffy, she clearly don’t like the Cambridges, and she’s very tight with her sister. Plus, Bea is now independent and seemingly happy in her marriage. Edo has consistently been very protective and romantic in his public statements regarding Bea (even if their getting together has an arranged feel).
Furthermore, in the skit Meg did with Melissa McCarthy to support her 40×40 project, both she and Melissa side-eyed U.K. carnival rats, with their sly reference to ‘yachts.’ LOL! In addition to the more obvious English tea send-up.
It’s shameful that other royal women haven’t signed up. She is literally asking people to be of service to others for the benefit of all. She is asking people to help each other. Like, how do you find fault with that? Even if M has some devious agenda (eye roll), it won’t change the fact that real people will be doing real work.
Waiting for the rats to start bitching about how Meg never asked Kate/Camilla/Sophie et al to join in, so they would never intrude where they weren’t wanted, etc. (Apparently Eugenie is the only person in that family with any initiative.) They’re so tediously predictable, you know it’s coming.
I am LOVING this support for Meghan. Especially the “dear Meghan” from Eugenie. You go on and rise Meghan!!
While I think she genuinely likes them, I’m sure E knows it would be dumb to throw away her relationship with H&M, especially now that they’re major players (imo). If her and Jack plan to move stateside, of course she’d want an ally in H&M. I also think she genuinely gets why they had to get out of the UK and separate themselves from the Windors. E herself doesn’t seem that close to any of them either except her immediate family.
^^ @S808, Eugenie and Harry are known to be closeknit cousins. Harry is slightly older than Eug, but both were the spare younger siblings in their respective immediate families. I think Harry was protective toward Eugenie when they were growing up. Harry has always treated the women in his life with respect and caring. Eugenie clearly returns the respect and the deep affection, whether or not the public has been substantially aware.
It’s common knowledge that Eugenie introduced Harry to Cressida, even though that matchmaking relationship didn’t work out long term. As Meghan revealed in March, we now know that Eugenie had met Meghan via designer, Misha Nonoo, prior to Nonoo having the brainstorm to bring Harry and Meghan together.
I think Eug’s affection toward Harry and her recent more public demonstrations of support for M&H, are not necessarily strategic in nature. The closeness between the Brooksbanks and the Sussexes seems genuine and heartfelt. At the same time, M&H surely keep details of their personal business to themselves and within their strict, tight and more limited inner circle, in order to avoid inadvertent or purposeful leaks.
Remembering Hilary’s reaction to the interview 💚
I’m happy Euge is doing this too.
I am so pleased to see this. It is one thing to be behind the scenes friends, but E is showing she is an ally. This is obviously at least a little strategic, but also it is a risk. Leaking about how you welcomed someone with open arms is so gaslighting, side eye Charles. Actually putting some skin in the game makes me respect her as a friend to the Sussexes. Cue Charles tantrum in 3…2…1
Meanwhile Hillary is awesome as always!
The icing on the cake would be if Michelle Obama signed on as well. I know she has no obligation to publicly support and she has her own set of charitable endeavors to cater to but still…..Im just saying….shrugs.
It really warms my heart, the amount of support Duchess Meghan is receiving with this initiative…I got a bit depressed yesterday reading some of the comments on Youtube etc, but waking up to this report this morning is really great!
YouTube comments section is a cesspool. There are very few places online that I even look at the comments. Too triggering and depressing, especially as a woman of color.
I thought the Obamas were friends with Harry but wasn’t Michelle critical of the Oprah interview?
I don’t think Michelle was criticizing Meghan or the interview per se, more that she was….measured in her thoughts about it. I think she was trying to convey that there are those people who will NEVER meet you where you are and will keep moving the goalposts no matter what you do, so it doesn’t make sense to “explain” yourself to or for those people. That, and as an outsider to the situation who has met and has had interactions with many members of the RF, I believe she was trying to be diplomatic.
I waited this long to comment because I did not want to be yelled at or told that I am bitter WoC again.
So, here it is: As I said, and people disagreed, Eugenie is member of a family that has inner disputes. This means that they are divided into groups. Eugenie and Harry are natural allies, they being both second born ( and yes, this counts, because in this family even Xmas gifts are given in accordance to the place in line). Harry was expected to do the work for William at some point. Now that he left and Charles is intent on completely erase Andrew and his line, both Eugenie and Beatrice are really being forced to forge their own paths. As long as Andrew was a working royal, he would protect them.
(and no, just because they are not working members, it does ot mean they do not see a need to the perks of royal life. Security, alone, is a big concern. and yes, they are used to certain standards.)
Beatrice and Eugenie are making very different choices here, however. Eugenie is more independent, probably sees what Harry is doing as very positive and other than posting pictures of her father and mother, is not in with their games. Beatrice, on the other hand….is more neutral? She and Edo were fine with going with Andrew to the chinese Embassy, so this shows where excatly their loyalties lie…
Beatrice and Edo are not a love match- at least in the way we see it. I am sorry, folks. This is not to mean they are not happy to be with each other. They are friends and some people value this more in a marriage than passion. They are aristocrats. They are not raised to see love as the ultimate goal. They share the same values and want the same things. It just happens that Edo, despite earning his own money, is just another “gent douchbag” more likely.
What I think it happened: Dara was aware Edo was having cold feet: While still living together she decided to give him space- not break up- and he went ahead and made sure Beatrice was keen on getting married despite his bagage, and when she said yes, he never looked back.
Just to be clear, I am NOT commenting on Beatrice´s appearance as opposed to Dara. I am just stating that, other than her being a Princess, Beatrice is the definition of common, in all aspects. ( Far as I know, she is no genius and has not shown to be a particularly captivating presence. ) This is fine. Not everyone needs to be special. It just speaks of Edo´s choice and what he wanted in life. At the end of the day, facts speaks louder than words, and instead of wantig to make his life with the cosmopolitan, sophisticated, chinese Dara, he chose a princess with shady parents and known to be a bit on the bland side.
BTW, Dara has no other choice than to get along with Edo. They have a child and business together.
also, btw, by the rules of aristocracy that Edo knows ( and can change, I suppose, if he wants, in his will), Wolfie, no matter how much loved by his parents, will not inherit his father´s title ( he might get half the fortune)- Beatrice´s will.
^^ @ModeratelyWealthy, it has been reported that Edo cannot inherit his father’s Italian title, as solely a British citizen. Edo’s father holds dual Italian and British citizenships, and was probably born in Italy.
Meanwhile, I don’t sense that Edo has much interest in pursuing Italian citizenship in order to inherit the title. Plus, there are probably Italian residency requirements involved that Edo may have no desire to meet. He strikes me as solidly British. As well, Edo is not close to his father, having been raised and nurtured by his conservative stepfather, Christopher Shale. Edo has publicly expressed love, respect, allegiance, admiration and gratitude for everything Shale represents and gave to him through the years.
Sure Bea/ Edo’s relationship has an arranged feel. Since their families are close, that connection likely played a role in their hook-up. Also, Edo is five or so years older than Bea at age 38. Bea will celebrate her 33rd birthday on Sunday. With this age difference, their coming together was not practical nor likely to have happened any earlier. Edo was in college when Bea was a young teenager, and then he was building his business while Bea was involved in a 10-year relationship with that Dave chap/ cad.
Edo did not seriously desire to marry Dara Huang, or he would have done so when she became pregnant. I know nothing about their relationship, so I’m speculating based on known facts and appearances. Obviously, Dara & Edo shared and continue to share a meaningful and caring connection via their son and, in part, based on their passion for architectural design. Dara is known to be brilliant and innovative in her field.
For whatever reason, Edo did not pull the trigger on long term commitment to Dara, yet he’s proven to be an exemplary father. Contrasted with Harry who was All-In as soon as he laid eyes Meghan. Harry and Meghan though seem to have a union that was fated/ written in the stars!
When I saw Stacey Abrams I got so excited. Why? Bc she is really good friends with Misha Collins. I think if Meghan and Misha teamed up they would one hell of a force. I’d love to see it.
Yes! I would love to see that as well. I love it when fandoms cross (and I’m a Stacey Stan, then she comes along and checks a whole bunch of other fandoms too! She’s a geek like me!)
Yap. That’s what the duchess of Sussex did with her 40th, just wait till the ‘future queen’s’ day……I bet you it will be hilarious what they come up with trying to upstage the former. I’ve already booked my ticket for that show, wine in hand
I would forgive Charles quite a bit if he signed up.
Pretty sure more women would join the workforce if they had adquate childcare. Wealthy people (like those listed here) need to give more of their tax money to supporting a nationalized childcare system. I agree this is sugar coated, unless they’re planning to address the POLITICS of it.
The politics of this are out there, and this 40×40 initiative is partly a response to this. We have Congress and many politicians and advocates for that. Do you want Meghan to testify to Congress about this, set up a lobbying organization because then she’d be accused of being too political and using the royal title. Representative Corey Bush, AOC, and many others were just camping out on the steps of the Capitol demanding an extension of the Eviction Moratorium, and it was effective. A lot of these organizations that are partnering with 40×40 are longtime advocates for women in the workplace. Also, people are looking to change jobs post pandemic, both by choice or necessity. Yes we need childcare, parents are scrambling with school starting and not enough after school staffing but we just got a $500 child tax credit, which makes a huge difference in people’s life ( it’s not enough but it’s a baby step in the right direction).I won’t dismiss this because people have been isolated and reaching out to help, or being helped, is impactful. A friend of mine is a long time stay at home mom who wants to get back into the workforce. This type of mentoring, and forging connections, is just the type of thing she needs.
@candy
Well you can pull your tongue back in right now. You and the rest of the british riffraff – in media and in the royal family – will not live long enough to see M enter representational politics or get any more political than she has….which has been: exercise your right to vote. Which, BTW, you and me both can ALSO say to folks.
Are you saying that every act that seeks to help people empower themselves HAS to come from a politician?
So effing tiresome.
Candy do tell how Kate solved the problem of the early years then with her 5 question survey? I hope you made loud comments about that? No? You know, rich woman and all. Just expecting the woc (most ‘listed here’ are self made) to politically agitate then? OK, got it. Did you stray from tumblr and accidentally land here?
What I love about this is that it’s getting people talking and it will help. Getting someone to look over a resume, take head shots, give computer training suggestions, whatever it is, it’ll give a boost. I help women re-enter the workforce as my volunteer job and it’s one of the best things ever.
Maybe Silver from yesterday’s post changed her handle. 🙄
@candy, Will you enlighten/explain ‘the POLITICS’ of it to us? It’s not a situation only to women with children. Women without children have lost their jobs throughout the pandemic. This is about women(and men) helping, encouraging someone else in a way they are able to.
@candy, Will you enlighten/explain ‘the POLITICS’ of it to us? It’s not a situation only to women with children. Women without children have lost their jobs throughout the pandemic. This is about women(and men) helping, encouraging someone else in a way they are able to.
Maybe it’s not a coincidence that Eugine is backing Meghan, I suspect she is well aware that the keenbridges set the paps on her husband. Those two are ruthless and will do anything to keep their top tier and anyone being a decent human to Harry and Meghan are seen as the enemy. Since the queen is untouchable, they go after the lesser royal which happens to be eugine. Therefore Eugine knows she has nothing to loose by being a good supportive cousin. I have admiration for her.
I think we can all assume that the Cambridges were already pissed at Eugenie for making her support of the Sussexes well known all along, even if she hadn’t openly voiced it before now. Maybe she would’ve spoken out in support of this initiative anyway, but this make-no-mistake-about-it IG post might very well be E’s shots fired to W+K that she could care less about them and their petty vendettas going forward, no matter what they try to leak about her and her husband.
I definitely think eugenie thought f*ck it, I’m going full Sussex squad. I know it’s easy for people to get mad at her for not speaking up, but we don’t know how difficult their situation is behind closed doors. We all know how powerful the alliance between the palace and press are. Anyone who defies that, their lives would be a living hell.
This small gesture from eugenie spoke volumes. The York girls are next in the firing line for the Keens to throw under the bus. And when the queens dead they will have no protection whatsoever.
@February-Pisces, I’m really hoping she and Bea are getting their sh*t in order, to be blunt. Because I completely agree that when Betty goes, the gloves will be off and Chuck will have no mercy on the Yorks, with Will and Kate gloating in the corner egging him on. Andrew can go to hell and drag Fergie with him, but I do feel for B+E.
I would pay to see Eugenie and Bea turning the tables on Karen and Baldemort. You like to leak about our husbands? Well since the gloves are off, there’s this story about a rosebush that I’m sure the US press would love to publish. There’s also the Middleton/Goldsmith drug and sex trafficking empire.
I’m not sure what’s going on with all the inferences like Eugenie is kind and affectionate to Meghan because she “knows where her bread is buttered” and is looking to somehow grift and use the Sussexes for some future lifestyle.
Eugenie was friends with Meghan before Meghan ever met Harry… she was involved in Meghan’s introduction to Harry. Can it be that she actually likes and cares about Meghan and was a friend to her all along, long before there was anything Meghan could have “done for her?” Before anyone had an inkling Meghan and Harry would ever get together, when Meghan was just one of a million minor actresses? At the beginning, she was the one who could have made those insulting inferences, that Meghan acted as her friend just to get her bread buttered – but it appears she never thought or behaved that way.
I just don’t think we have to rip EVERY single woman to shreds like this, you know?
I feel sorry for Eugenie for the way the British media has savaged her looks and appearance since she was a little girl, and for the two fucked up parents she has. Still it seems she has come out as a kind and normal person. I doubt I would be a mentally healthy person if I had spent my entire life being bullied for my looks by creepy middle-aged British men in the national media daily.
Since nobody in the family really acknowledges H&M as family, it’s “shocking” for us so we see friendly support, which as you say is normal, as totally left field because nobody else from the family gives that support. The bar is basically in hell for the family to speak positively so seeing one person do it constantly and consistently is a major thing.
I remember (pre Meghan) reading about how the York sisters were jealous of ‘Kate’s beauty’ and how kate was so tall, thin and pretty and the York’s were not. I think that sucks for any woman to see. Obviously Kate and Ma we’re behind that narrative.
I remember that. Both sisters have womanly bodies. Kate has a boyish, athletic, long and lanky kind of frame. They praised her to the moon and dumped all over the sisters looks, bodies, and oh, my you’re right, it really was gross.
That certainly sounds like a Kate/Ma Midds narrative. Weren’t they stories about Kate/Pippa mean girling E & B? A theme party, fashion show and something about Kate working the being higher in the hierarchy because she was with William.
I’ve never thought Eugenie was unattractive. The BM’s (and whoever else was involved-*cough* Lady CC) are probably feeling salty about Eugenie’s show of support to Meghan. Eugenie is kind of negating the spurious stories about Meghan supposedly announcing her pregnancy at Eugenie’s wedding. Eugenie knew ahead of time and they’ve been good with each other throughout.
The support Meghan has been shown through the 40×40 initiative has been strong throughout different levels of fame, experiences and public interest.
LOL at the idea of it being sugar coated or a political thing. Mentoring is about helping-a humane thing.imo When you’ve been exposed to and have had people want to help you-free of charge-become a better, confident you, it’s not hard to understand 40×40 being a good thing.
And then came Meghan who was more beautiful, stylish, articulate, charming, intelligent and who looks so much younger than Kate. Kate started to become very jealous. Her expression at Meghan’s wedding gave her away.
Anyway you slice it, this was a major flex by Meghan and Archewell . So many people and organizations,not just Meghan’s “ celebrity friends”, signed up and want to get involved in this initiative.
Reading the comments, they make me think of the piers m. Lizzie cundy, the patenal markles and piddy, who all complain of being ghosted, and the mean nasty things they have to say about meghan, I see why they were ghosted. They were never true friends, and meghan picked up on it. Is there is any doubt why such vicious people were ghosted?. True friends are true, mean nasty gossip because a person doesn’t talk or see you ever day is kind of fake. Life circumstances change, and should be a no harm no foul. I have friends I haven’t talked to in over 20 years, but when we do see or talk to each other we are still good.
Hahaha the BRF done f*cked up. They didn’t realize what they had with Meghan. I love to see her thriving and working and getting it done, and with the support of so many “regular” citizens as well as celebrities (which has got to drive some in the family nuts – they want that same type of support). I’m just laughing into my teacup over here, I love it so much! 🙂
Hillary Clinton, Stacey Abrams, Sophie Gregoire Trudeau, Ciara, Katie Couric, Dr Ibram X. Kendi… The POWER Meghan holds is amazing, but her kindness, compassion, and charisma are the main reason why all these powerful people are joining her.
This is what happens when you have a duchess who knows how to use her voice. To think that that salty island still props up their mute mannequin as a future queen and role model for their country. The British Royal Family could NEVER. They couldn’t muster together 40 relevant figures even if the whole family used all their connections.
Also, all these influential people and not a single leak! She is truly thriving in California surrounded by the people she trusts most and I’m so happy for her.
I hope that Eugene will leave!
My big question is WHY?? WHY did Eugenie change her post from “dear Meghan” to “The duchess of Sussex”
Did someone say something? I want to know why she changed her initial warm, personal greeting to a colder, less personal greeting..
it hasnt been changed
“Eugenie apparently edited her IG Story at some point to change “dear Meghan” to “the Duchess of Sussex.” I kind of like “dear Meghan.” Eugenie is spitting in the face of the rabid, hateful, racist British press by using an endearment like that. I’m including the original IG Story below.”
Quoting the story…so still wondering why she edited her IG story…?
Even if she did change it, there might not anything sinister around it — maybe she wanted to use her formal title and put some respect on her name. 😏 The fact remains that support is support, and she’s putting it all the way out there.
Beyond being a “girl’s girl” as someone has already pointed out, I’ve always thought there was a “girl next door” wholesomeness about Meghan. She strikes me as fun and bubbly and obviously, judging from her many actions, kind and thoughtful. I heard Lainey say once in an interview that Meghan is beautiful in photographs but is absolutely stunning in person. Beautiful is probably what first comes to mind about Meghan, but I think her “girl next door” vibe, her willingness to always be of help, and her kindness is what wins her loyalty from both men and women.
To use a British phrase Meghan is ‘approachable’. Empathetic and giving. None of the glacial haughtiness Kate affects. Someone’s going to melt that perfect ice and only sewage will spew out.